


Double Trouble

by That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s10e11 There's No Place Like Home, M/M, Oz Key
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-10 10:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3286223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl/pseuds/That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean uses the Oz Key on himself. It doesn't go well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to write a one shot based on last episode and get it up but it ended up being longer than I thought... So enjoy this short chaptered fic that started off cracky but ended up slightly serious.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. If they separated him into two parts, maybe only dark him would have the Mark. A version of Dean could live his life like normal and they’d just have to watch the other part or lock him up.

In retrospect Dean probably should have talked to Sam, Cas, Charlie, or anyone who would have told him it was a stupid idea before he used the Oz key on himself. At the very least he should have done it when there was someone else around to help him out. 

But hey, even if he had his moments, no one considered Dean the brains of the Winchester operation. That title belonged to Sammy. 

So now there were two Deans in the Library of the Bunker. One was dressed in black standing by the table where the other one, dressed normally, sat at a chair. No one else saw them. Sam was in his room sleeping, Charlie was long gone, and Cas was still in Heaven.

Dark Dean looked around for a moment before his eyes settled on his good counterpart. “You have the Impala keys?”

Good Dean shook his head. “They’re in the garage. Why?”

Nodding in understanding, Dark Dean tapped the other Dean’s shoulder and started walking toward the garage. “We’re blowing this joint. You’re coming with me.”

“Why?” Good Dean got up from his chair, but didn’t go very far. It was bad to run away.

The man in black gave an exasperated sigh before stopping and turning around. “Alright a)” he held up one finger, “I… we… you, whatever, have a habit of dying and I know you won’t fight back if something tried to off you. If you die, I die, so you’re coming with me to be safe. And b)” this time he smirked a bit, “I told you to come with me and deep down you still think it’s bad to disobey a direct order. So c’mon.” He turned and started walking again. 

His counterpart sighed. He had a point about the orders thing. “Fine. I’ll come with you.”

They walked in silence until the revving of the Impala filled the bunker through the open door of the garage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I cannot believe all the support this has gotten! 2 subscribers, 1 commenter and 9 kudos? You guys are awesome. Also I realized this is my 20th fic on here! That's not relevant to the story, I'm just excited.
> 
> Enjoy!

Sam awoke with a start at the sound of the Impala. Years of hunting made him a light sleeper, and just because they had a permanent place to stay didn’t mean those instincts were gone. “Dean?” His shout echoed off the walls of the Bunker.

When his initial call got no response, Sam went to look for his brother. He couldn’t find him anywhere and the Impala was gone. This was not good. Once he was sure he was alone at the Bunker, Sam pulled out his phone.

It rang a bit before he got a response. “Dean? Please tell me you’re ok.”

The older Winchester’s voice came through from the other end. “Hey Sammy. I’m fine. Really sorry about running off though. I’ll make you a pie or burgers when I get back to make it up to you.”

Before Sam could respond there was another voice, which also sounded suspiciously like Dean, on the other end of the line. “Is that Sam? Hang up.”

Before the younger Winchester could respond the first Dean spoke up again. “I can’t do that, it’s rude.”

“I don’t care.” The second Dean started an argument and it finally clicked for Sam.

“Oh god.” He ran a hand down his face. “You used the Oz key on yourself, didn’t you?”

There was a silence on the other end for a moment. “Yeah. Sorry. I get that that was a bad idea now.” One of the Deans shifted the phone to speaker. “You’ve got both of us-both of me?-whatever now.”

Sam shook his head. This was too confusing. “Just come back. We can fix this. You aren’t in a good place right now and you shouldn’t be on your own. Turn around and get back to the Bunker.”

“No way.” Sam guessed that was Dark Dean. “What make you think you can tell me what to do? Besides, I’m not alone. I’ve got Jiminy Cricket me sitting shotgun.”

“Hi Sam! Seriously, sorry about all this.” Sam figured that one must be Good Dean. 

Sam gave an annoyed huff of breath. “Dean-Dark Dean, whatever. You need to come back until we get the Mark figured out. If you lose control and hurt someone or worse, you’ll never forgive yourself.”

“Jesus, how much of a monster do you think I am?” Dark Dean scoffed. “Even when I was a freaking demon I only took people on when they had it coming. I’m not going to go around slaughtering innocents.” His tone shifted, getting a little angry. “Just like you, always overreacting to me doing anything you consider wrong.”

“Dean, you killed a room full of people.” Sam couldn’t believe he had to remind his brother of this.

“They had it coming; you saw what was going to happen to Claire. That douche was using her and pretending to be her dad so he could do it.” Dark Dean said it so casually that it unnerved Sam. “Besides, you’re getting off topic. We were talking about you treating me like shit.”

Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Dean, this isn’t you-“

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what you say whenever I show a little backbone and call out the bullshit way everyone treats me. Just one betrayal after the other.” He was stopped by a noise from the other Dean. “What?”

“Stop talking to Sam like that. It’s bad.” He sounded upset. 

Dark Dean sighed. “What, I’m the one with more knifes in my back than Caesar and he’s the one you’re looking out for?” He scoffed. “Typical. Anyways you’re upsetting the softie over there so I’m hanging up. Bye Sammy.” The line went dead.

“Wait-Dean-ugh.” Sam looked at the end call screen on his phone in frustration. He had no idea where Dean was going or what he might do. Time to call in the big guns before someone else like Crowley found out.

Sam scrolled through his contacts until he found the right number. Luckily for him this person picked up quickly. “Hey Cas? We’ve got a major problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda feel bad for how Dark Dean treated Sam, but he's loosely based on Demon Dean, who really didn't care about Sam. Meanwhile I feel like Good Dean is turning out kinda like Yellow Fever Dean from season 4, but you'll see that more in later chapters.
> 
> Anyways, if you liked it you can give me feedback here or go to my tumblr (that-one-curly-haired-chick) and let me know what you think there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for everybody's favorite angel to show up. Enjoy! And Anon who left me the nice message on tumblr, if this was the fic you're talking about, glad you like it. If it was one of my other fics, still glad you liked that fic and you probably won't see this comment.

Castiel was shocked to say the least when he found out what Dean had done. He knew the hunter could be reckless, but messing with the magic of other dimensions? That was taking it further than usual. 

Still, he would do anything he could to find Dean. His own feelings for the hunter aside, Dean wasn’t in a good place at the moment. Anything that could jeopardize his safety was not something that Cas wanted to happen.

What Castiel could do at the moment was limited. Even split into two parts, Dean still had sigils on his ribs that made angel tracking impossible. Searching for the Impala could be a solution, but it would be difficult to do alone. Many angels still distrusted Castiel after what had happened with Metatron. While Castiel hadn’t known that Dean would torture Metatron for information, he had lied to the other angels about where he was taking the scribe. So their distrust wasn’t baseless. 

Besides, many of them still considered him odd because he felt emotions. True, they had all fallen and lived on Earth, but none of them (with the possible exception of Hannah) knew what it was like to experience emotions. Hannah had told him what she thought she felt for him and how it compared to the love her vessel felt for her husband when she saw him. What she described sounded much like what Cas felt whenever he was around Dean. 

But he never voiced his feelings to the hunter. Their timing was never quite right because there always seemed to be another apocalypse to prevent or another problem nearly killing him, Dean, or Sam that attracted their attention. Admittedly at this point in time he and Dean still had plenty of problems to deal with, but Castiel decided that he was tired of waiting now. If he was going to die because of his waning grace, he would at least let Dean know how he felt first. 

But first, he would have to find Dean and ensure no harm had come to him. 

__________

Cas agreed to meet with Sam at the Bunker to discuss what they should do. When he arrived, Sam was already waiting outside with his duffel bag at his feet. Cas turned off his car and got out, eyeing the hunter warily. “Sam, what are you doing?”

The younger Winchester grabbed his bag and began walking to the passenger side of the car. “I tracked Dean’s phone. He’s only an hour away if we go a little above the speed limit and we should go now so we can catch him before he moves again.”

Castiel stepped in front of him before he could make it to the passenger door. “I don’t think it would be wise if you come.”

“And why the hell is that?” The irritation was rolling off of Sam in waves. “He’s my brother.”

“I’m aware.” Cas stood his ground despite the other man towering over his vessel by several inches. “However, you said that Dean was openly hostile to you when you talked. If you go after him now it could result in a fight. If Dean is fatally injured again, he could become a demon again. Also we do not know how being split would affect the Mark. He could be even more volatile.”

Sam scoffed. “So what? You’re just going to go off on your own to get him?”

The angel sighed. “Sam, do you trust me?” He waited until the hunter nodded in affirmation. “Then trust that I will bring your brother back safely. Give me the map to where he is and the key so I can return him to one being.”

With an impatient face Sam handed over the map and the Oz key, which he had found dropped in the Library. “Bring him back Cas.”

Castiel nodded solemnly. “I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on how Dean will react to Cas? Leave me a comment and I'll respond. Of course any and all feedback is appreciated as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first shout out to my awesome commenter! You made my day.

A few towns away, the two Deans had spent the night at a bar and seemed to be about to spend the next day the same way. Dark Dean seemed to enjoy trying to set his counterpart up with people, knowing that Good Dean wouldn’t act on it even if the other person was very interested. If anyone asked about the resemblance Dark Dean explained it away with fake ids and a story about being long lost twins reunited for a road trip. Good Dean just nodded because he didn’t want to lie. 

“C’mon dude, you gotta admit this is fun. Sure, you’re a bit of a stick in the mud, but I bet I can get you to loosen up.” Dark Dean smirked. “Maybe today you’ll actually drink instead of going for soda like the awkward teenager we never were.”

Good Dean eyed him warily. “You seem to be forgetting part of our teenage years.”

That actually got a laugh out of the other Dean. “See? You’re already telling jokes. This could work out after all.” He flagged down the bartender to where they sat at the end of the bar. “Let’s get some drinks.”

“Can we not?” Good Dean squirmed uncomfortably. “I know normally we’re all about that, but I just don’t want to. We were trying to be good before this, remember? Healthy food, no booze, the whole nine yards?”

Dark Dean sighed. “Man, such a killjoy. Can we at least play pool to have some kind of fun or are we living in the town from Footloose now?”

Good Dean bristled a bit. “Hey, I didn’t ask to come with you. You basically kidnapped me.” A moment passed with his counterpart looking at him in surprise before he cracked. “I’m sorry, snapping at you like that was mean. We can play pool, but no hustling anyone.”

That comment earned another smirk from Dark Dean. “Not quite what I was going for, but good enough. Let’s play.”

They made it through a game and a half before they both noticed something was off. No other customers had been there when the Deans started playing pool, but a few had come in while they were playing. They seemed to be trying a little too hard to act naturally. Dark Dean looked up from where he was about to make a shot, being sure to talk quietly. “You notice something off too?” Good Dean nodded, and Dark Dean slowly stood up, careful to still keep his voice down. “You down for a fight?” At his counterpart’s head shake, he lost a bit of his composure but stayed quiet, now close to his double’s side. “C’mon man, we’re Dean freaking Winchester and you don’t want to fight?”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Good Dean stared at him with imploring eyes.

“Alright, fine.” Dark Dean looked warily around the room, taking in the number of people present. There weren’t many. “I fight them off, you make yourself scarce. Do the usual Winchester protocol for meeting back up. Got it?” Good Dean nodded. “Good. Now run!” Good Dean ran while Dark Dean knocked the closest attacker back with the pool cue then pulled the demon killing knife out of his jacket and stabbed the demon (he was now sure of that, the man’s eyes flashed black when he approached) to kill him. 

Dark Dean had taken out three demons when suddenly he felt a blade cutting lightly into his neck. There was no one near him. The cut wasn’t that bad; it was a warning, not a real threat, and he looked around for Good Dean. 

He saw him, along with the last being he would have wanted to see. Standing at the door with a knife to Good Dean’s neck was Crowley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this does not look good for Dean.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thank you to the two people who left kudos. You're great.

This was not good. The King of Hell stood just inside the door of the bar with a knife to Good Dean’s neck. Dark Dean watched his double who looked miserable and was carefully standing still in Crowley’s hold so his neck didn’t get cut further. He knew that Good Dean, while probably entirely physically capable of fighting off the demon, most likely wouldn’t. Sure, from what he’d heard Good Charlie had defied the whole super conscience thing and shot the Wizard, but he didn’t know if his double would do the same. Crowley was bad and had caused a lot of problems for the Winchesters and their friends, but he could sometimes be useful. Even when Dean was whole he hadn’t killed the demon. Course he was also the one that had gotten Dean stuck with this whole Mark problem. 

The King of Hell finally spoke up, a plotting glint in his eye. “Imagine my surprise when I hear that there’s two Dean Winchesters sighted in one place. Then I show up and this one," he tightened his hold on Good Dean’s arm, “doesn’t even put up a fight.” He chuckled. “Quite the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into here, squirrel.”

“What do you want?” Dark Dean didn’t want to talk around this. He could already tell that Crowley was after something.

“Oh, I’m just trying to figure this out.” He shifted the knife from Good Dean’s neck to his face despite the human’s protests, making a shallow cut and watching as an identical one appeared on Dark Dean’s face, making him flinch. “Fascinating. Two Dean Winchesters, one acting so much like the demon I knew, and the other not even defending himself. But what you do to one affects the other.”

“Crowley, I swear to god that I will kill you this time.” Dark Dean began to pace forward, demon killing knife at the ready, but stopped when Crowley shifted his knife back to Good Dean’s neck and pressed in slightly. 

The demon smirked. “Really? Because I don’t think you’ll do anything to hurt me. Not while I’ve got him.” He tightened his hold on Good Dean. “I still have the First Blade, you know. And there are still Abaddon loyalists out there. I think you should help me with that.”

Dark Dean scowled. “Even when I was a demon I didn’t do what you said. What makes you think that will change now?”

“Because now I have the perfect leverage.” Crowley stared him down, making another slight cut on Good Dean’s throat and watching Dark Dean wince as a mirror mark appeared on him. “You’re not in any position to negotiate here. You’ll do as I say, or I’ll kill you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest this was one of those plot points that I didn't think of initially, but then it popped into my head and it just fit so perfectly that I had to write it. It was the same thing with the Eve arc in All is Fair (which is one of my other fics if you haven't read it. Season 6 canon divergent, about 20k. Yes, I'm shamelessly self promoting. In my defense, most people have probably stopped reading by now).
> 
> Anyways, any and all feedback is appreciated. You can comment, kudo, bookmark, subscribe or whatever here or visit my tumblr (that-one-curly-haired-chick.tumblr.com).


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the two people who left kudos. I'm glad you like the story!
> 
> And take note of the (just changed) story warnings for this chapter.

Unbeknownst to Crowley or either Dean, Castiel had arrived a few minutes earlier. He’d watched the exchange through one of the windows and looked for the right moment to make his move. If Crowley sensed his approach, he could kill Dean. Any sudden movements, even unintentional ones, could mean death because of the knife on Good Dean's throat. Dean dying at all was something Cas wanted to avoid, but if he died while his soul was still split the consequences were unknown and possibly dangerous. 

It was moments like this that Castiel missed his full angelic powers. If he had his wings still, he could have just teleported in to have the element of surprise. As it was, he couldn’t teleport and shouldn’t even risk burning out his stolen grace by cloaking himself or smiting Crowley, even if he wanted to. He would have to plan this carefully. 

Crowley would want to avoid killing Dean. He would need Good Dean alive for leverage over Dark Dean. Certain in that knowledge, Castiel walked in, hoping Dark Dean would take advantage of the opportunity when he saw it.

Dark Dean looked surprised when Cas walked in but quickly managed his reaction. A few moments of eye contact and he seemed to understand what the angel was planning. He nodded slightly but didn’t move yet. 

While Cas and Dark Dean had been communicating, Crowley had turned around and carefully maneuvered Good Dean with him. Good Dean brightened at the sight of the angel. “Cas! Oh thank god.”

Crowley shifted a bit so could see but still had his human shield. He knew how good the angel was at throwing knives. “Castiel. I must say when I gave you that grace, I didn’t intend for it to be used against me. In fact, I believe you owe me for that.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t ask for you to give me the grace. Release Dean.”

The demon seemed to consider it, but they all knew he wasn’t going to. “No.”

Cas drew his angel blade. “You’re outnumbered. You are in no place to negotiate.” 

Crowley turned back to glace at Dark Dean, who was still standing behind him. Castiel took advantage of the distraction to look at Good Dean and try to signal the plan. For it to work, he would have to get himself out of harm’s way. When Good Dean reluctantly seemed to agree to the plan, Castiel was relieved. Crowley, however, seemed oblivious to the scheming. He turned to Cas with a smirk. “I don’t think I am. As long as I have this Dean here hostage, neither of you will hurt a hair on my head.”

Both Deans stared at Cas, waiting for a signal. He nodded slightly and they sprang into action. Good Dean shoved Crowley’s arm away and ducked away from him towards Cas, who ran forward to catch him. Before Crowley could react Dark Dean ran up behind him, scooping up the demon killing knife he’d set down and stabbing Crowley in the back. With a dramatic lightshow, the King of Hell was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second story I've killed Crowley in. I'm pretty sure I used the same phrase at the end of the chapter in both this and All is Fair too. It does sound cool though in my opinion. As for Crowley, he's an interesting character but I feel like he's outlived his purpose on the show. Mark Sheppard is great, don't get me wrong, but I just feel like story wise Crowley should have died a few seasons ago.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my new subscriber and my commenter! I'm glad you guys like this story.
> 
> This chapter gets super cheesy. Enjoy!

After Crowley’s body, or the body of the man he’d been possessing, fell to the floor, Castiel looked back and forth between the two Deans and pulled the Oz key from his pocket. “We need to put you back together.”

The Deans exchanged a glance before Good Dean spoke up. “That’s probably a good idea.”

“Wait a minute.” Dark Dean held up his hands and the others looked toward him. “Sam’s not the only one who’s treated us wrong.” He pointed at Cas. “You’ve pulled some shit. You worked with Crowley and unleased the leviathans, you ignored my prayers in Purgatory, and you always leave.” He crossed his arms. “Why should I do what you say?”

Castiel visibly slumped. “You have a point.” He paused and looked Dark Dean in the eye. “You must understand that I am truly sorry for everything I have done. I wish I could undo everything I did to cause you pain, but I cannot.”

Dark Dean scoffed. “Bullshit. You can time travel.”

“It’s not that simple.” Cas shook his head. “While I have time traveled in the past before, Fate nearly killed you and Sam in retaliation when I tried to change something. The only reason she didn’t is because I changed it back. Plus, I no longer have that much power.”

“And whose fault is that?” Dark Dean’s harsh words made both Good Dean and Castiel flinch.

“Dean, you have to understand that I am truly sorry for what I’ve done and I wish I could spend more time here. But if you genuinely feel like you can no longer trust me, I will leave.” With that Cas turned and prepared to leave, looking like a kicked puppy.

“Fine.” Dark Dean scoffed and turned his back.

“Stop it!” Everyone looked over at Good Dean, who appeared to have even startled himself by shouting. He turned to Dark Dean, still angry. “Why are you being so mean to him? We love Cas!”

At that statement the whole room went silent. Everyone was too stunned to say anything.

Dark Dean broke the silence. “Why the hell did you just say that?”

Good Dean still looked shocked. “I don’t know! You two were fighting and it was getting as bad as Dad and Sam used to and I just couldn’t take it! I had to do _something_.”

“Is it true?” Both of them turned towards Cas, who was staring at Good Dean intensely. Well, more so than usual.

Good Dean looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his head. “Lying is bad. I can only do good things now.” He cautiously looked up, still mainly avoiding eye contact.

Castiel ginned. “I love you too Dean.” Both of their heads whipped towards him with equal looks of joy. “Now let’s get you back in one piece.”

Both Deans looked at each other and nodded. Dark Dean spoke up this time. “Alright.”

They laid down next to each other on the ground and Cas held the Oz key over Good Dean’s chest, watching as the two parts of Dean combined again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not quite done with this fic yet but it should be soon if any of you were wondering.
> 
> Also I realize it was Balthazar who traveled back and messed with the Titanic, but it was under Cas' orders.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this is later than usual but I had a super busy day today. But here's a very Destiel-y update so enjoy!

When Dean came to, it was to Castiel leaning over him. He gave a little laugh. “Dude, personal space.”

“My apologies.” Castiel backed off and Dean instantly regretted his words.

“I didn’t mean it.” Dean sat up and smiled at his angel. “I was joking.”

“I know.” Castiel returned his smile and sat down next to him. “So… how does it feel to be put back together again?”

Dean rubbed his head. “Like the weirdest head trip ever. And that’s coming from someone who’s been hit by two different types of djinn.” 

Castiel leaned towards him tentatively. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Every word.” He grinned and reached out for Cas’ hand. Once their fingers were laced together Dean looked back at his lap. “Did you mean it?”

“Of course.” Cas squeezed the hunter’s fingers where he held them. “Dean, I would do anything for you. You are the most important thing in the world to me.” It was his turn to look away shyly. “Did you mean it?”

Dean smiled, softer this time. “Like I-he?-whatever- said, no lying. I mean it. I might not be able to say it or show it a lot, but I really care about you Cas. I need you.”

The angel looked at him with an expression of absolute adoration. They stared at each other for a moment before they both began to lean in. It wasn’t the first kiss either of them had ever had, but it was a long time coming. Their second kiss, not so long. 

Castiel was the one to break it off. “We should return to the Bunker. Sam was quite concerned.”

“Way to ruin the mood.” Dean laughed softly. “For future reference, don’t mention my brother when we’re kissing or doing… other things. When we get there. Or if, we don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean I want to, but-” 

Dean’s rambling was cut off by Castiel’s finger on his lips. The angel smiled at him. “I do want to. Not right now though, when you’re ready. For now, back to the Bunker.”

Dean nodded solemnly before a serious expression came over his face. “Shit. Dark me was super mean to Sam.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand.” Castiel gave Dean’s fingers another squeeze. “Come on, we won’t know until we get there.”

Dean sighed but let Cas pull him up by their joined hands. When they exited the bar, Dean looked between the Impala and Cas’ car. “So now what? We split up and drive to the Bunker separately?”

Cas nodded. “I know you would not like to leave your car behind, and despite your thoughts on it I’m getting attached to my own vehicle. I’ll follow you there.”

“And after that?” Dean was once again avoiding eye contact.

Cas reached up to tilt Dean’s face towards him. “I will stay with you as long as possible. Heaven does not really need me anymore, and as I said you are more important to me.” He made sure he was looking Dean in the eyes. “I will not leave if I can help it, unless you want me to.”

Dean smiled. “That’s not gonna happen. C’mon, let’s go see Sammy. We’ve got some news for him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what happened to Crowley's body and the bodies of the other dead demons, I'm not sure. The show never covers that so I don't know the usual Winchester protocol.
> 
> Anyways, just to let you know this probably only has one or two more chapters left. Beyond that, I don't see myself writing much more in this 'verse. But like with any of my fics, you can leave a comment here or go to my tumblr (that-one-curly-haired-chick.tumblr.com) to tell me about timestamps or follow ups you want to see. No promises on it getting written but it doesn't hurt to let me know what you want.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sorry this is a little late but I've been getting a bit of writer's block for this fic. But here you go! This will probably end up being the second to last chapter, but I'll put up an official chapter count when I'm sure. Thank you to everyone who helped get this to 13 kudos, 3 subscribers, and 9 comments!
> 
> Enjoy!

When they finally made it back to the Bunker, Sam was waiting for them. After testing his brother with everything available despite Castiel’s assurances that it was actually Dean, he gave him a hug. 

When they separated Dean looked at Sam, looking slightly guilty. “Sorry for all the stuff I said. And for running out on you.”

Sam shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I was pissed at first, but god knows I’ve run away enough times to get it. Plus, I guess I haven’t always been the best brother I could be.” Dean looked like he was going defend Sam for a moment, but the younger Winchester held up his hand to stop him. “I haven’t, Dean, and it’s about time I owned up to it. But from now on, no running off, no shady deals, I’m with you til we get this Mark problem fixed. You’re my brother, and just about the only family I’ve got left. I’m here for you.”

Dean smiled, trying unsuccessfully to hide how touched he was. “Thanks Sammy.”

The brothers stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to say, before Cas cleared his throat. “I will most likely also be here more than I once was.” He glanced somewhat nervously at Dean, unsure how much he wanted to tell Sam about their relationship. The two of them stared at each other, unsure who should speak first.

Sam looked between his brother and the angel suspiciously. “Did something happen between you two?”

There was another moment of frantic eye contact before Dean spoke up. “No.” Cas’s shoulders started to droop before Dean slumped and sighed, looking away from his brother. “Yes,” he said quietly, “we may have…um, kissed.” The last part was said in a voice so small Sam had to lean in to hear it.

“Finally!” The younger Winchester’s exclamation startled both of the others in the room. “Sorry, I’ve just been waiting for this for a while.” He paused, staring off into space. “I have to call Charlie. She made me swear she’d be the first to know.”

“What?” Dean looked at his brother with an incredulous expression.

Sam shrugged. “Everyone saw it coming. Charlie said people who read Chuck’s last books even stopped thinking we should be together because they liked you and Cas together more.”

Dean scoffed. “Well thank god for that.”

Cas squinted at him. “I do not think my father had anything to do with it.”

Both hunters stared at him for a moment before Cas started to smile and Dean spoke up, also smiling. “Cas, was that a joke?”

The angel nodded. “I suppose my humor still needs work.”

“Eh, it’s great to me.” Dean grinned at him, and they began staring at each other until Sam coughed to remind them that he was still there.

“Hey, I’m happy for you guys and all, but please, not in front of the little brother?” He started to break out the puppy dog eyes. 

“You’re really not that little, Sammy.” Dean reached out to ruffle his brother’s hair but Sam ducked out of the way. 

Sam smiled but then his face grew serious. “Dean, what about the Mark? We still need a solution for that.”

Dean sighed. “Right. Back to the research boards for that, but first can we have one night to celebrate me and Cas finally getting together?”

Cas smiled. “I believe we should, Dean.” With that he leaned in cautiously for a kiss and hummed happily when Dean eagerly reciprocated. They only broke the kiss at the sound of a camera going off.

Sam looked up sheepishly, phone in hand. “Charlie wanted a picture to prove it was true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if everyone seems a little ooc here. A) it's hard to picture them both happy and in character and b) I have consciously decided to make them less emotionally constipated than in the show. That just gets annoying after a while.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Any and all feedback (comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc) is appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First off thanks to everyone still following this story. I'm sorry I missed an update, it was a mix of writer's block and real life getting too busy. 
> 
> If you were wondering, assume anything that happened in the show after 10.11 didn't happen in this fic. So no Dean getting turned into a kid, no internet ghost, and no Cain on a murder spree.

After Dean and Cas’ return to the bunker, things fell into a routine. Dean and Cas began to share a room. At first Castiel had continued to fall, but then he had another angel come and take the stolen grace from him so he could become human without worrying about the grace burning him out. While Dean felt guilty about it initially, Cas assured him that he was happy with his decision to stay on earth. 

As soon as she was back from Italy, Charlie came to see them. Having talked to her on the phone earlier, Sam vacated the Bunker after she showed up so she could talk to Dean and Cas. After they cleared up their initial confusion about her excitement about “Destiel becoming canon” (her words) and she calmed down, they called Sam back to the Bunker. 

“I’m surprised you got over that so quickly.” Sam smiled at Charlie as he handed out the food he’d gotten while away. 

“Please.” Charlie scoffed. “I’m not that much of a fangirl. You’re thinking of Becky.” At the brothers’ collective cringe, she looked around. “What? Sensitive topic?”

Dean shook his head. “You don’t even know. I’m guessing the drafts you found didn’t get far enough for you to know about the love potion.”

“Do I want to know?” She looked between Dean’s amused but slightly disturbed expression and Sam’s haunted one.

“You don’t.” Sam shook his head and shuddered. “Anyways, did that book you found have anything good?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Charlie sighed and put her head in her hands. “A lot of interesting stuff, but a whole lot of nothing on the Mark.”

“That’s alright.” Everyone turned to Cas. “I’m sure we’ll figure out a solution eventually.”

Dean nodded, patting Charlie on the back. “Don’t stress yourself out kiddo.”

__________

After crashing at the Bunker for a bit to catch up, Charlie left again. Things fell back into the routine of before with everyone mainly staying at the Bunker to research and only going on the occasional hunt. There wasn’t as much happening, possibly because of the regime change in Hell. With Crowley gone it seemed like most of the ambitious demons were dead. They later learned that Rowena had taken over in her son’s absence and that none of the demons were trying to challenge her. 

They continued researching about the Mark but didn’t seem to be finding answers. After nearly two months of research, Dean finally shoved his book away in frustration. Cas and Sam looked up at him, clearly confused. 

“Do we really have to keep doing this?” Dean looked between the two of them. “The Mark hasn’t really bothered me for weeks.” He rolled up his sleeve and rubbed his thumb over it. “It even looks a less red than it used to.”

At that comment both Sam and Cas crowded in to look at his forearm. Castiel spoke up first. “It does appear to have faded some.” He turned his gaze to Dean. “When did you first notice this change?”

The other man shrugged. “I don’t know. Not long after the whole Oz Key thing I guess?”

“Wait.” They both turned to Sam, who began digging through the pile of books. “That was also when you two got together.” He gave up on the books and turned back to his brother. “Dean, didn’t you say that for Cain he was able to resist the Mark because he got married?”

Dean looked confused but nodded. “Yeah. He met this Collette chick and she made him promise not to kill.”

“What if that’s the solution?” Sam glanced between Dean and Cas’ confused faces before elaborating. “Love. What if that’s what solves it? No necessarily makes it go away, but makes it bearable?”

“What is this, a Disney movie?” Dean shook his head and rubbed his arm. “No way it’s that simple.” 

“It could be.” The brothers turned to Cas. “Dean, I’ve been alive for millennia. You’d be amazed at what humans have accomplished through their relationships with others.”

“So what?” Dean sounded distressed. “I’m fine as long as you’re here but if you decide to poof off I’m a murder machine again?”

“Of course not.” Castiel moved closer to the other man and took his hand. “I do not intend to leave you unless you want me to Dean. Besides, there are others who love you, like your brother,” Sam nodded, “as well as others you know like Jody and Charlie.” He leaned down so he was on eye level with Dean. “There are people who care about you, and we will not let you lose yourself.”

Dean took a deep breath, slowly leaning his forehead against Cas’ and resting it there for a moment before speaking up, his voice quiet. “I don’t want to end up there again.”

Sam came forward, carefully placing his hand on Dean’s shoulder and trying not to disturb the couple. “You won’t. We’re here for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also this is the last chapter for this fic. However, I'm not 100% satisfied with the end so I may change it later. But that won't be for a while because I've been having horrible writer's block for this fic and don't know how I'd change the ending to my liking. But if anyone wants more (timestamps or whatever), let me know with a comment here or a message on tumblr (that-one-curly-haired-chick.tumblr.com).

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Other chapters will be posted soon.


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